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Moonrise/Chapter 18
Chapter description :After a night of vigil for Dappletail, Leafpaw watches in silence as the elders carry her body out of camp for burial. A sharp shower during the night has left the camp wreathed in mist, and raindrops drip from the trees. The elders depart through the gorse tunnel, and the other cats gather in small groups, whispering to each other anxiously. Leafpaw can’t hear what they are saying, but knows that they’re talking about the disappearance of Cloudtail and Brightheart. That makes four cats missing from ThunderClan, but Leafpaw doesn’t believe that StarClan sent away Cloudtail and Brightheart too. Leafpaw desperately asks StarClan why they are taking more cats away. :Cinderpelt breaks into Leafpaw’s thoughts, pushing her nose into her apprentice’s fur in wordless comfort before she heads toward Firestar and Graystripe. Leafpaw spots Mousefur, Ashfur, and Thornclaw heading for their leader and deputy as well. Mousefur announces that she’s taking out the dawn patrol, and asks if they still want to look for Cloudtail and Brightheart. Ashfur adds that there’s not much point if they left on purpose. Leafpaw’s heart sinks as she remembers the patrol after patrol that were sent out the previous day in search of Cloudtail and Brightheart. They had picked up a scent trail that had led to the place where the Twolegs had destroyed the forest, but it had stopped abruptly near one of the huge tree-cutting monsters. Firestar replies that all they can do is keep their eyes open, and Mousefur adds that she wouldn’t put it past Cloudtail to look for kittypet food. Ashfur puts in that he ate it often enough when he was an apprentice, and Mousefur reminds them of the time Cloudtail left them and cats were put at risk trying to rescue him from the Twolegs. Graystripe hisses that that’s enough, but Leafpaw says that they’re right that Cloudtail has always had a paw in two worlds. Cinderpelt snaps that he’s loyal to his Clan, and that they’re not being fair to him as it has been a while since he did those things. Graystripe points out that Brightheart would never do that anyway, and that Cloudtail wouldn’t go off without her. Thornclaw adds that they also have to figure out why they left their only kit, Whitepaw, behind. Mousefur wonders if they went over to RiverClan to eat fish. Cinderpelt agrees that she wouldn’t put that past Cloudtail. :Graystripe thinks for a moment, then says that RiverClan would’ve caught them and chased them off. Leafpaw thinks that they might’ve fallen in the river, remembering how she slipped while trying to help Reedpaw. Firestar points out that the scent trail didn’t lead toward RiverClan, and starts to say something about how it abruptly ends at the Twoleg monster, but breaks off. Leafpaw can guess what his thoughts are, knowing that the Twoleg monsters are big enough to crush a cat that gets too close. She meets Firestar’s gaze, thinking that it would be a great loss to ThunderClan to lose two brave warriors. Firestar tells Mousefur to just carry on as usual, and Mousefur hurries off with the two younger warriors behind her. Firestar asks Cinderpelt if StarClan has shown her anything about the missing cats, but Cinderpelt says that they haven’t. :Leafpaw struggles with the urge to tell Firestar and Cinderpelt about how Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw had been called away by StarClan, but hardly knows what to say about her vague visions. Firestar begins to talk about going to Highstones, but is interrupted by Brackenfur approaching with his apprentice, Whitepaw. Brackenfur mews that Firestar ought to have a word with Whitepaw. Firestar asks what the matter is, and Whitepaw begs to be excused from training to look for her parents. Brackenfur tries to say that he told her she can’t go off alone, but Whitepaw interrupts him, saying that she’s only an apprentice and that she has to find them. Firestar shakes his head and apologizes, saying that she is important to the Clan and that Brackenfur is right that she can’t go off alone. Graystripe adds that they’ve searched already, but Whitepaw wails that it wasn’t enough. Cinderpelt comforts Whitepaw, and Firestar orders Brackenfur to go on a hunting patrol with her. He tells Whitepaw to keep her eyes open for Cloudtail and Brightheart, and Whitepaw looks a little more hopeful. Graystripe offers to go with her and get Sandstorm to come as well, and Whitepaw thanks Firestar before following her mentor toward the camp entrance. Graystripe and Sandstorm join them, and Leafpaw watches as all four cats disappear. :Firestar murmurs that they aren’t safe in their own territory anymore, and begins to say more when he is interrupted by a wail coming from the nursery. Leafpaw whips around to see Dustpelt stagger forward out of the nursery, then collapse on the ground. Firestar asks if he is hurt, but Dustpelt just whispers that it wasn’t Ferncloud’s fault and that she hasn’t been eating enough to feed herself, let alone the kits. Leafpaw hears the wail break out again, and asks to know what has happened. Dustpelt hopelessly says that Larchkit is dead. Instantly, Cinderpelt whisks past Dustpelt to the nursery and Ferncloud. Firestar rests his tail-tip on the brown warrior’s shoulder in a vain attempt to comfort him, and Dustpelt pushes his nose into his leader’s fur. Leafpaw’s throat tightens to see two cats who had never been friends brought together by grief. Firestar lifts his head to the gray sky, asking StarClan what trouble they will send to ThunderClan next. Characters Major *Leafpaw Minor *Mousefur *Ashfur *Firestar *Graystripe *Thornclaw *Whitepaw *Brackenfur *Dustpelt }} Mentioned *Cloudtail *Brightheart *Reedpaw *Brambleclaw *Squirrelpaw *Stormfur (indirect mention only) *Feathertail (indirect mention only) *Sandstorm *Ferncloud *Hollykit (indirect mention only) *Birchkit (indirect mention only) *Larchkit }} Important events Deaths *Larchkit: Starvation Notes and references Category:Moonrise Category:The New Prophecy arc Category:Chapter subpages